Multiple hanger



Jan. 11, 1949. M. E. ZIMMERMANN MULTIPLE HANGER Filed Sept. 12, 1945- glffl/ 7 2 1 9 4 MN. 3 8 4 T :A. 4 d f I f z 5 W E k 4 .3 NJ 8 6 0 F3 5 INVENTOR'. MHX/M/L/HN E. Z/MMERNANN B). W

ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 11, 1949 MULTIPLE HANGER Maximilian E. Zimmermann,

assignor to Fred 0. Martin,

Los Angeles, Calif., Los Angeles, Calif.

Application September 12, 1945, Serial No. 615,800

7 Claims.

This invention relates to a multiple hanger.

Among the objects of the invention are: to provide in a single hanging device means for clamping a plurality of suspended pieces of fabric in place in such a manner that all the suspended articles may be simultaneously released; to provide an improved manually operable clamping means for use in the above stated situation; to provide a hanger better adapted for use on a clothes line in such a manner as greatly to increase the number of garments suspendable upon a single clothes line; and to provide a sim-- pler, more easily manufactured hanger structure to perform the above mentioned functions.

Another object is to provide a hanger of the multiple type provided with more conveniently manually operable clamping means 'for releas ably clamping small articles in a suspended position.

With the foregoing objects in View, together with such other objects and advantages as may subsequently appear, the invention resides in the parts, and in the combination, construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the hanger, the garment-supporting arm being shown in normal position in full lines and in released postion in dotted lines.

Fig. 2 is a cross section on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation looking at the right end of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmental detail of the catch shown at the right hand end of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a modification.

Fig. 6 is a cross section on line 6-3 of Fig. 5.

Fig. '7 is an elevation looking at the left end of Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the modified hanger, the broken lines indicating the position of the garment-supporting bar in the initial part of its swing toward garment-releasing position. Parts are omitted.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged reproduction. of the lower portion of the catch arm shown at the right end of Fig. 5.

Referring in detail to the drawing, in both of the illustrated embodiments of the invention the body portion. or frame of the hanger comprises two elongated members, in Fig. 1 these members being designated Ill and Il, said members being hinged to each other at one end of the hanger. In Fig. l. the frame member ID is shown as comprising a somewhat resilient rod shaped as a 2 broad. inverted rectangular U having a body portion [2 and end arms l3 and I4. Said end arm l3 has fixed to it one end of a mounting bar !5, the opposite reduced end portion it of said bar projecting loosely through an aperture l'i provided for it through the A hinge structure I8 located at the outer end of arm [3 connects therewith one end of the swingable hanger arm IS, the free end of said arm normally resting upon the shoulder of a beveled catch head 20 formed upon the outer end of the arm 14. The catch shoulder has a seat 2| to receive the end of the upswung arm It.

A series of six clamping devices 23 are'shown in Fig. 1, supported by the mounting bar l5 in a cooperative relation to the swingable hanger bar l9, bar l5 having vertical bores 24 within which the clamp stems 25 have working fits. Each of these clamps has an arcuate foot 26 positioned to clamp garment portions 21 between itself and the swingable hanger bar it.

Spiral springs 28 around the clamp stems 25 act between the bar l5 and feet 26 to perform the aforesaid clamping action. The upper part 29 of each clamp 23 is diametrically enlarged to form a stop shoulder 30 at its lower end, and at its upper end carries an operating head 3i. The device is shown provided at its midlength with an upwardly directed hook 32 to suspend it upon a clothes line 33.

Describing the modification shown in Figs. 5 to 9, the suspending hook 35 is carried by the upper run 36 of the inverted wire U-bar 31 having end arms 38 and 39. A rectangular board or panel All is fitted into the inner part of said U-bar. Said panel has grooved end edges to seat said arms 38 and 39, said'panel being shown with its breadth equal to about half the lengths of the arms 38 and 39. leaving space between the outer portions of said arms for the swingable panel 4| which is connected by means of hinge elements 42a to the lower half of the arm 38. The opposite end of said panel 4| has in it a depression to receive the convex catch element 42, associated with which is a stop lug 43 (Fig. 9) to arrest the swing of panel 4!, normally to keep it parallel to panel 40.

A series of five clamping devices 45 is shown in Fig. 5, these devices being carried by a rod 43 extending along and attached to the upper part of the panel 40. Each of these clamps comprises a plate or shoe 4'! which is so mounted that its toe 48 extends below the lower edge of the panel M to form a finger-hold. Each shoe has a ounting wire 43 provided at one end with an aforesaid arm M. l

keep the panel- Mifrom recedingfrom the wire run 35.

It will be seen that in both embodiments of the invention the upper or non-swingable mom-i her is of an elongated plate-lile characterinmespect to the space which it occupies. In the first described embodiment the .swingab-la membienz plane as that occupied bysaid plate-like space, but in the second embodiment swings in the same this member swings laterally in relation tosaid plate-like space.

In using the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 4 the operator," after seeing that thehanger bar leis latched in place -in-itsswingableup-swung:

position wwill-put the various small'articles. to be suspended in'place upon' said bar in' an overlying relation zthereto, manually. lifting each-clamp 227- by' gripping wits -head' 3i before he places. each article upon the section of the baraunderlying the foot ofwthe: clamp being: operated The device is then-=in'readiness': for being -hungupon a closet hoolc-or :the clothes line-23. When :itis desired to" release thesuspended sary to-release thecatch bar l9,*allowing saidbar to gravitate to a downswungqposition, thus simultaneously freeing all the, suspended articles from theclampsland allow ing' them toslideofi frOmxsaidbarinto-a suitable receptacle.

articles' it is only neces- 20- 5mm the end of the The-operation ofthe embodiment shown in- Figs. 5 to 9 resembles that 'of-the em'bodiment" first-described;but'differs therefrom in that the clamps are raised byamanually contacting their to'e .portions 48-; and the articles gripped between the clampsand the panel 4 F are by' withdrawing the catch -element: i2, thusallowing' the panel-"4i ,tdswi-ng laterally a sufficient manually released distance to release all the suspended-articlesfrom the'clamps 45.

I claim? In -a multiple Jha-ngerr two elongated mem bers which normally extend: alongside each other.

means "at --one"end of the hanger whereby said members are=hingeditogether; manually releas- I able-catch means at -the opposite end-:of the hanger to- "releas'ably f-hOld said: Iembers in sub stantial' parallelism, and a series of manually operable spring loaded" clamps carried in a"row'= by oneof said members to clam garments in a suspended relatio'ritotheother -member,- the clamped garments being simultaneously freed from' the hanger to gravitate therefrom "when said catch means isrele'ased;

2. In a"multip1e hanger; twoelongated members which normally extend alongside each other;

one ofsaid members being of a-platedikecharac corner portion of said plateand'connectedwith corresponding end:por-

ter-; a 'hi'nge'located at one tions of said elongated members sothat one or them'isswing able -in anedgewise manner in relation'tothe other plate, manually operable springnonswingable member in an operativerelationto the-swingable pressed clamps carried by the member toclamp suspended articles against the latter when it is-innormal-position, and a manually releasable-catch carriedby .one'ofsaidmembers and operatively connected *to. the free end of the swingable member to hold said members in the normal position, the clamped articles being simultaneously freed from the hanger when said catch is released.

3. In a multiple hanger, two elongated members which normally extend alongside each other, one of said members having at one end an arm projecting transversely from said member, means to suspendythe other member with its length extending horizontally, a swingable arm one end of which is hinged to the outer end of said arm, means carried by the end portion of the-hanger opposite to its arm to releasably mainta'in said swingable arm in its inswung position,

andmanuallyoperable clamps carried by said one membero'f said' hanger in a cooperative relation to said. swingable .arm to hold garments in a clamped relation to it when it is in its inswung position; said swingable arm being swingable in a vertical plane when the other member is suspendedias aforesaid.

4. In a multiple clampa frame comprising a rod or wire shapedzas' a broad inverted U having downwardly directed-end arms, a bar spanning the spacebetw een said-arms, one end of said bar being secured to one of said arms and the opposite end. thereof extending loosely, through-an aperture in the other end arm, a swi-ngable arm for supporting garments, one end ofsaidswing- .able arm being hinged tosaidirame in an outwardly spaced relationtosaid-bar, a catch carried'bygthe outer end portion of said apertured arm and normally engaging the free end of said swingable arm to keep it upswung, and springpresser clamps carried by said bar in an abutting relation to said .swingable arm when the latter is unswung,-saidaperturedarm having sufiicient resiliency to allow the catch which osition.

5. In .a multiple clamp, two elongated membersv which normally extend-alongside each other, said members being hinged-together at one end ofthedevice, manually releasable means at the opposite end ofthe device to releasably holdsaid members in their'normalrelation, one of .said

members being, an upper member and the other a lower member, meansnormally suspending said upper -member with its length extending horizontally, a longitudinally extending rod carried by said upper member; and a plurality of manually releasable-clampssupported by said rod, each of said clamps comprising a shoe and a spring wire support therefor havinga-coiled portion surrounding said rod, said" wire support having a run extending downwardly from said coiled portion arrangedand tensionedto cause. the lower part of .said shoe to operate as a clamp to grip articles to be supported, between member, said upper and-lower members comprising .plates normally-in edgewise vertical alinement' and-.each-of said shoes normally abutting against both of said plates and having fingerhold portions projecting below said lower plate usable. to release themfrom'clamping position.

6. In'a'multiple hanger, two elongated members which normally extend alongside each other, means carried by one of said members to suspend it with its length'extending horizontally, means at oneend of the hanger whereby said mem-bers are hinged together, manually releasable catch means at the opposite end of the hanger mounted it carries to be manually moved to and from releasing it and said lower ing devices mounted upon the suspensible member of said hanger in a row extending longitudinally thereof and at spaced apart points, springs carried by said clamping devices tending to urge them laterally into contact with the other of said elongated members, thus normally maintaining in a suspended condition garments portions of which are interposed between said clamps and the last recited elongated member, subject to being simultaneously released from the hanger by the manual release of the aforesaid catch means.

7. In a hanger, an elongated rectangular open frame, and a row of individually releasable holding members mounted to extend transversely across the opening of said frame, each of said holding members being supported along one longitudinal side of said frame with its opposite end coacting with the opposite longitudinal side of the frame for releasably clamping articles upon the latter.

MAXIMILIAN E. ZIMMERMANN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 603,544 Wagenblast May 3, 1898 864,114 Wheary Aug. 20, 1907 907,258 Lord Dec. 22, 1908 1,557,989 Dombrowsky Oct. 20, 1925 1,597,688 Moskovitz Aug. 31, 1926 1,701,688 McCall Feb. 12, 1929 2,102,405 Coggiola Dec. 14, 1937 2,238,459 Wilhelm et al. Apr. 15, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 16,491 Great Britain 1911 541,967 France Apr. 4, 1922 

